Uncle Fletcher
by Not A Droid
Summary: Companion to "Daisy" and "Teddy Roosevelt". Emily's ex-boyfriend's family isn't taking her engagement lying down.


_A/N: Sometimes two related one-shots feel lonely and incomplete; so I'm rounding out my other Reid/Prentiss one-shots Teddy Roosevelt and Daisy_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or any character associated with it, no copyright infringement is intended._

* * *

"Emily, I think you owe me an explanation."

Emily should have known better than to expect that Fletcher Seibold would take her breaking up with his nephew laying down. The day after she broke up with James and got engaged to Spencer, Fletcher called her.

"I really don't think I do, Fletcher."

"Excuse me?" Fletcher wasn't used to people talking to him like that.

"I don't owe you anything. My relationship with James is between me and James."

"Which apparently you threw away for this academic-type who came out of nowhere."

"He didn't come of nowhere. I've known Spencer Reid for seven years. I've only known James for a few months."

"What is this really about, Emily? Did Jimmy do something stupid?"

Emily smiled. "What this is about it that I love Spencer, and I don't love James."

Fletcher laughed. "Emily, what does love have to do with anything? What I like about is that you know enough about the world not to give in to frivolity like love. You have more sense and discipline than that. It's why I was glad James found you."

"Fletcher, did you think I was going to marry James?"

"Why not? You have a lot in common."

"We have nothing in common except we come from well-to-do families."

"What more do you need?"

"I need someone who understands me, who loves me and whom I want to spend time with. Someone who doesn't need to have pictures taken with me everyday to get his family's approval. I'm sorry, but James and I were never going to work out."

Fletcher Seibold wasn't a fool. He could tell he wasn't getting anywhere with Emily. He wished her well and hung up.

He wasn't done yet, though. Emily Prentiss was too good a thing for his idiot nephew for Fletcher to let him slip through his fingers. More importantly, Fletcher felt that a merger with the Prentiss family had lots of benefits for his family and business. He wasn't going to let go of that without a fight.

* * *

Several hours later, Elizabeth Prentiss received a call from Fletcher. As soon as she realized who was calling her, she cringed.

"Hello Fletcher, what can I do for you?"

"I think it's what we can do for each other, and our families."

"Oh?"

"Are you aware about this man your daughter is going to marry?"

Elizabeth sighed. From the moment Emily started seeing James, she knew it was trouble. She and Emily didn't see eye-to-eye on almost everything. She, however, was proud of her daughter. What made her to most proud was that Emily refused to become some ridiculous bored socialite. Emily lived her life trying to do things that mattered.

Fletcher, however, was the kind of man who saw people, and families, as commodities. Elizabeth had no doubt he had worked out some plan where Emily marrying James was going to bring him some grand benefit. The news that Emily was marrying some else, brought a great sense of relief to Elizabeth.

"You mean Spencer?"

"Exactly. Dr. Spencer Reid. He is simply the wrong kind of person for Emily."

For a moment, Elizabeth regretted she and Fletcher weren't having this conversation in person so she could she his reactions to her words.

"Actually, Fletcher, he is exactly the right kind of person to marry Emily. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't have given him permission to marry her."

"What?" Fletcher could not keep the shock out of his voice. In fact, his voice was almost a screech.

Elizabeth smiled. "He came to see me and asked permission to propose. I thought it was so endearing. Especially since the two of them have been so close before Emily went to England."

"They were?"

"They've worked together for years. I understand he was dating someone else, and just between you and me, I think that's why she left for London. So you see, she is marrying exactly the right person."

Fletcher's shocked silence was gratifying to Elizabeth.

* * *

"I just had an interesting conversation with my mother," Emily told Reid later that day.

"Oh?"

"Did you talk to her before you flew out here?"

"Not exactly, why?"

"Apparently she told Fletcher Seibold you asked her permission to marry me."

"Why we she tell him that?"

"He called her to convince her that you are the wrong person for me. She says she told him you asked for her permission to shut him down. She called me so if he said anything we could keep our stories straight."

"Wouldn't the truth be the easier than lies?"

"Why do think I try to keep my distance from her? She always makes things more complicated than they have to be. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that she's being supportive and shutting down Fletcher's attempt to sabotage things. I just wish I knew why she was doing it."

"Maybe she just wants to be supportive."

"That's what she wants me to think."

"Well, she did help me a little bit."

"Oh?"

"I wouldn't have gotten into the benefit without her."

"She helped you?"

"Yes. I called her and explained the situation."

"Why?"

"I didn't know who else to call."

"I see."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"I...I don't know."

"I know you have a ...complicated relationship with your mother, and I'm sorry if I did something wrong."

Emily looked at his eyes, saw the worry there, and her feelings of unease melted away. A warm, happy feeling replaced it. What a difference a day makes. Just 24 hours ago, she had an empty feeling regarding her life and now she felt happy.

Even better, she had hope for the future. She knew it didn't make sense, that things moved as quickly as they did, but she didn't care.

"Hey," she said softly," I love you."

"Why?"

"Because I do."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to." She kissed him. In the middle of the kiss, her cell phone rang.

At least, she thought it was her cellphone. When she answered it and said"Prentiss" she heard Hotch's surprised voice.

"Emily, why you answering Reid's phone?"

Emily looked down at her coffee table to see her cellphone laying. She had grabbed the wrong one.

"Sorry. I thought it was mine."

"We must have the same ringtone."

"Is Reid there?"

"Yes. Here." She gave the phone to Reid. "It's Hotch."

"Yes?"

"Reid, where are you?"

"In London, with Emily."

"Why are you there?"

"I told I had some important personal business."

"yeah?"

"I had to propose to Emily. Because I love her. The amazing thing is that she loves me too."

"That's good. I...guess we need to talk when you get back."

"Yeah. Yeah we do. Do you need me back?"

"No. Take your time."

"Okay." Reid hung up the phone.

"Do you have to go?"

"No. Not yet."

"Good." She smiled and hugged him. "Because I think you need to ravish your fiance."


End file.
